Looping machine



Dec. 10, 1929. E. J. GEARHART LOOPING MACHINE Filed Deo. 23. 1927 /NI/ENTOR.

y BY W Z ATT RNEYS.

E/yoy J GEARHART Patented Dec. 10, 1929 PATENT OFFIC EMORY J'. GEARHART, OF CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA LOOPING MACHINE Application filed December 23, 1927. VSerial No. 242,151.

My invention'relates to means for inserting and forming loops of yarn or other material in fabric, as for example in the process of making hook rugs, and has for its primary 5 object to provide a simple, compact and effective device to be operated by hand by which the loops will be quickly formed and firmly held in the fabric and will be automatically spaced and made of equal length throughout.

My invention comprises,` in its present embodiment, in its entirety, two relatively sliding handles, an eyed needle on one handle to carry the yarn in a loop through the fabric, a loop holder on the other handle, sliding 15 relatively past the needle into the loop to retain the same while the needle is withdrawn from the fabric by the other handle and means whereby as the needle is relatively withdrawn it is thrown a fixed distance in advance of the 2G loop helder and loop, so that as it isagain driven through the fabric, it will form the next loop properly spaced from the preceding loop, from which the loop holder is at the same time withdrawn.

My invention also comprises specific means for thus throwing the needle forward of the loop holder, consisting preferably of means for pivoting the needleto its handle midway of its length and a spring or other cam mem- 30 ber on the handle of the loop holder acting to swing the needle forward on itspivotas it passes thesame with the movement of its handle.

My invention also comprises other features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I shall first describe in detail the mode in .which I at present prefer to carry the invention into practice and then particularly point out its various features in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which like parts are designated by the same numbers in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of a looping machine embodying my invention, the needle and loop being shown driven through a fabric in the process of forming a hook rug, and theloop holder retracted.

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1, showing the loop holder advanced to hold the formed loopY in the fabric, and the needle withdrawn and swung forward on its pivot in position to space and form the neXt loop.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view on the line 3 3, Figure 2.

In the specific embodiment of my invention thus illustrated, 4 designates the needle holding handle, 5 the eyed needle carried thereby, 6 the loop holder handle and 7 the loop holder carried thereby.

The handles 4 and 6 are made of wood, aluminum or other preferably light material and are in this example made flat with rounded outside edges curved and tapering toward the needle and loop holder ends conveniently to fit the respective hands of the user.

The straight meeting edges of the two handles are, in this case, formed with a longitudinal Vtongue 8 and groove 9 respectively, so that the handles can slide and will be guided lengthwise on each other, and are also formed with longitudinal guide slots 10 and 1l respectively, the needle handle slot 10 opening at the forward end and the loop holder handle slot 11 opening at the rear end.

In the slots 10, 11, slide the closed ends of keepers v12, 13, respectively, preferably of metal, whose arms embrace and are secured respectively 'to opposite sides of the opposite handle, so that the two handles will be tied together while guided in their relative lengthwise movement. A

In the meeting tongue and edge of the needle handle 4 is formed a deep groove 14 in which the needle 5 is seated loosely and is pivoted toswing transversely to and from the loopholder 7, in this instance by a pivot pin 15', entering and loosely fitting one of a longitudinal series of holes 16 in the needle, sothat the needle can be adjusted to project more or-less from the forward end of its handle and thus vary the length of the loops formed thereby.

The needle holding groove 14 is preferably deepenedl forward of the needle pivot pin 15 so as 'topermit the swinging movement of the needle point. The needle 5 is also grooved lengthwise on the outside at its forward portion to its eye to fit and receive the loop holder as hereinafter described.

The loop holder handle 6 is also formed with a longitudinal groove 16 in its forward portion sunk below its slide `groove 9, and in the sunken groove' 16 at the `forward 'end is received adjustably the shank of the loopholder 7, in this instance by"meansjof1setgf screws 17, passed through a longitudinal slot 1S in the shank into the handle, Sdthatby loosening the screws 17, the loop holdingvfinger 19 of the loop holder'the end 20of which is notched to retain the yarn, can be projectedv morevor less from the endof its handle to correspond Ywith the greater or less projection of the needle 4from its handle previously referred'to. The loopholding n'ger 19 is offset from its shank toward the needle so that when the Vyarn threaded needle is projectedinto the fabric by projecting its handle, to form theloop,'the loop holding finger will be wholly within the correspond-ing groove of the needle, and asthe loop holder is then projectedby its handle, the loop holding finger 19 will slide 'forward in the'needle groove through the fabricnntifl its notched. end 2O reaches the needle"eye'andcatches and h-olds the end of 'the' loop.

In the groove -16 of the loop holder handle back of the loop holder is also 'secured the forward end of a cam Vspring 21, the rearend -of'which rises 'from' said groove and has a rear cam 22 which bears against the flat shank 23 of the needle, at the rear of its pivotpin 15, when the' needle is projected, so that the point end of then'eedle isthereby pressed yieldingly against the 'loop holder lseatedy therein. As vthe loop Yholder is thenrprojected by its handle on the needle,thecam"`22 rides along the 'fiat needle shank 23 toits pivot, until, as

theloop holder end reaches the needle eye andV loop, the cam 22 passes' the "needle pivot and, as the needle is 4withdrawn from the fabric, presses the needle pointv away fromltheloop holder the distance required properly to space the next loop inthe ground fabric from the preceding loop.

As the needle'v'vith the yarn is then again projected by its handle through the ground fabric to form 'the nextk loop zand the loop holderthen vwithdrawn fromv the preceding loop, the Aloop holder finger as it leaves ythe f fabric is thenthrown Vby the cam relatively to the needle into the needle groove in position to slide therein'throu'gh the fabric and the movement of the keeper 12 therein and thereby limit the relative movement of the two handles. l

It will be seen that the reverse longitudinal movements of the two handles, as well as the movement of the needle with respect to the loop holder, are relative and therefore the means whereby such movements are caused, guided-and controlled can be reversed in location and arrangement, Without departing from the scope of my invention. Y

'It' is also evident that many of the specific features of my invention herein shown and described to illustrate 'one embodiment thereof may be greatly varied with-out departing from theboundaries of my invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim as my invention: f

1.' A looping instrument comprising a handle having` a straight edge provided withv a groove extending lengthwise thereof, a needle pivoted between its 'ends in said groove and projecting from one end of said handle, a second liant le having a straight edge slidable on the first named straight edge and having a groove alined with the groove V'in the first named handle, a loop holder fixed inthe last named groove and projecting from the end of the second named handle, and a cam in the last named groove inV slidable contact withsaid needle'to swing the projecting end thereof toward and from the loop holder when the handles are slid relatively'to each other. f

2. A looping instrument as specified in claim 1, in Iwhich the cam is ia 'leaf spring secured inthe lastnamed groove to slide yieldingly along said needle and on opposite sides of its pivotal connectionV with the first named handle.

3. A; looping instrument as specified lin claim 1, in 'which'the' needle isprovided with a llongitudinal series of holes adapted t-o receive loosely a pivot pin onthe first named handle. y l

'In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

nMoRY J. Gniienrinr. 

